


Protagonists

by plusultrachaos



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:29:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29428857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plusultrachaos/pseuds/plusultrachaos
Summary: The words that ink someone's skin are important. They tell the most important phrase or thing that a soulmate will ever tell their other half, sometimes it can be their first words, sometimes it'll be a saving grace. Placement in itself isn't necessarily the most important, varying from one place to another.For Akaashi, his soulmark encourages him to keep going—when he's able to read it, that is. It's scribbled in the middle of his upper back, written in handwriting so messy that it's hard for anybody to really read. Watching Bokuto try to write an essay only proved further that it was in fact, Bokuto. The mark holds special to Akaashi, attracting the side of him entranced in literature and the piece of him that can't help but to watch how excited Bokuto can get.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 6
Kudos: 47





	Protagonists

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TiredTaro](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiredTaro/gifts).



> hi. happy valentines day! this is a gift for my partner! i know the tags don't share much, but it really was just bokuaka soulmate brain rot. 
> 
> i hope everybody enjoys this!
> 
> thank you for reading!   
> -[plusultrachaos](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/plusultrachaos)

Akaashi knew from the beginning of their friendship they were soulmates. He's not daft enough to believe anything else. Bokuto is made of a wild tide, his emotional flairs are something only Akaashi has been able to manage and talk him out of. He is made of stars and galaxies, bursting with the brightness of an eternal sun. 

Akaashi has known that they were soulmates when he first saw Bokuto in his last year of middle school, the words sprawled across his back matching the personality of the shining star that spiked in front of him. He trained with Bokuto with this knowledge, setting constantly to the boy that would eventually tell him they were the protagonists of the world. 

The words that ink someone's skin are important. They tell the most important phrase or thing that a soulmate will ever tell their other half, sometimes it can be their first words, sometimes it'll be a saving grace. Placement in itself isn't necessarily the most important, varying from one place to another. 

For Akaashi, his soulmark encourages him to keep going—when he's able to read it, that is. It's scribbled in the middle of his upper back, written in handwriting so messy that it's hard for anybody to really read. Watching Bokuto try to write an essay only proved further that it was in fact, Bokuto. The mark holds special to Akaashi, attracting the side of him entranced in literature and the piece of him that can't help but to watch how excited Bokuto can get. 

"We are the protagonists of the world!" 

It makes sense that Bokuto would be the one to say it, wrapped up in an important match, shocking Akaashi into an awed silence. No matter how many times he'd envisioned it being Bokuto. No matter how many times he'd wish Bokuto would just say it the closer it came to the end of the year. No matter how many wishes he threw out to the universe to grant him this before Bokuto was gone, it didn't prepare him to actually hear it. 

He stares at Bokuto, and for once, his brain supplies nothing for him to say. Blissfully blank, he watches the confusion grow in Bokuto's shining eyes. Akaashi blinks as the silver hair starts to droop, smiling widely as if it wasn't going to be anybody else. The rare smile is enough for Bokuto's strange hair to bounce back up and move the confusion further away from Bokuto's eyes. 

Without explanation, Akaashi finds himself holding on to Bokuto, crushing his own head into Bokuto's chest. Bokuto moves to hug back when Akaashi brings his head up and says, "We are, Bokuto-san." He feels Bokuto freeze up before he's pushing his setter away with the brightest smile he's capable of. Akaashi thinks that to some degree, it's blinding, but it's a brilliant blindness. He can't see anything beside it and if he's being totally honest, it's one hundred percent worth it to stare at a star as bright as Bokuto. 

Bokuto shouts, shocking Akaashi out of his thoughts, and gaining the attention of the crowd and the surrounding teams. "AKAAASHII!"Akaashi rolls his eyes, used to his captain's dramatics. He's taken aback by Bokuto's arms wrapping around him once more, bringing him in close. "Why didn't you tell me you were my soulmate?" The words are so quiet that Akaashi almost has to strain to hear, sending a muted chill down his spine as he realizes that he had said what was written down the side of Bokuto's arm. 

He looks at Bokuto, his eyes trailing to the scrawled words on the inner part of his forearm. When he meets Bokuto's bright eyes again, Akaashi's mind goes to the cliche of the world melting away. It's a strangely accurate way to describe how the world fades out of view and leaves only the sight of Bokuto. There's an overwhelming amount of love in his eyes, but it feels no different than normal, not insurmountable in any way. Distantly, he can hear their team calling for their captains, but it seems so far away, something out of the landscape of him and Bokuto. 

He feels Bokuto pull away from the embrace and turn to cheer happily in the team's direction. 

Akkashi finds himself watching Bokuto walking away, his mind going a thousand kilometers a minute. He's thinking about how different the relationship between them might change: if their late night study cuddles will shift to be closer. He thinks about if he can run his hands through the spiked silver-black hair with a tenderness only shared by soulmates. He wonders if he can finally trace the lines of Bokuto's soulmark and claim it as his own handwriting. 

He doesn't notice he'd stayed standing in the middle of the court until he hears Bokuto yell and he returns to the present. He nods gently and jogs over to where Bokuto stands waiting for him. 

Something nudges at his mind as Bokuto fumbles around after accidentally grabbing Akaashi's hand to hold. They settle into holding pinkies as Akaashi's mind starts to spiral on the fact that that was their last game. Their last game with the third years and Akaashi's last game setting to Bokuto. 

His mind traverses this corner of thought until he feels a panic reach him. It's a subtle thing, the way that his chest tightens and he feels like he's losing control over his own thoughts. His mind keeps tunneling around the idea of Bokuto leaving him, and how even though they're soulmates and will always make their way back to each other, he might never see Bokuto again. 

He keeps going, his thoughts circling around each other until he feels a warm hand grab his shoulder and pull him to look at them. It's Bokuto with a wide smile, a question of concern hidden behind the molten gold of his eyes."Akaashi! Where do you think we should go for food?" His voice is boisterous as usual, but Akaashi knows that underneath the excited shouting there is a hidden question. 

Akaashi just tightens his pinky around Bokuto's. He shrugs, not really sure what would be good to eat to celebrate their victory. He looks down at their feet that have found the same pattern, stepping in time with a rhythm of their own creation. 

He sighs and finds himself walking closer to Bokuto's side, the warmth enough to make Akaashi's thoughts go from panicking about Bokuto to thinking about a possible future with Bokuto. He half listens to the conversation that Bokuto has with another one of their teammates about how their games had gone.

Someone must have made a decision on where they were going because they enter a restaurant, grabbing a table big enough for their entire team. Akaashi catches Bokuto's smiling face and shoots a small smile in return, watching as the smile beams even further. 

The dinner is filled with loud yelling and cheering, apologetic looks to the restaurant's staff, and a warm feeling tumbling through his stomach. By the end of it, everybody is sated and quiet as they all file out of the place. 

Bokuto, the dramatic boy he is, leans into Akaashi, whining about how full he is. "But Akaaashiiiii, I don't think I can walk, I ate too muuch." Akaashi huffs and pushes him out the door. 

"Bokuto-san, you eat that much every time and can walk just fine." Despite how disgruntled he sounds, he helps Bokuto walk on his own, looping their pinkies together. Akaashi can feel Bokuto's eyes on him and turns to look back. He worries that there is something on his face from dinner, but brushes it aside when he notices the small smile shining from Bokuto's face. "What, Bokuto-san?" 

Bokuto beams further and moves his hand from holding just Akaashi's pinky to holding his entire hand. It's a foriegn feeling, the gentle warmth seeming to radiate from Bokuto's hands to Akaashi's cheeks. Maybe they're unrelated, but he knows that Bokuto's hand is almost scorching in his and his face feels similarly scorched. 

Akaashi watches as their hands sway with every step they take, trying to engrain the image of their interlocked fingers into his memory. His mind travels back to where it had been before, wondering how different things would be between the two of them. How it would affect their study sessions, if it even would. Would they feel pressured to date?

He's so lost in his thoughts that he misses the way that Bokuto continues to stare at him. He misses the lovestruck gaze that freckles his eyes like the stars overhead sprinkle over the sky. He misses the soft, fond smile that overtakes Bokuto's face. 

He doesn't miss, however, the light squeeze that takes him out of his thoughts and sends his blue-gray eyes up to lightning bright eyes. Akaashi's breath catches and he is stopped in his tracks, staring wide eyed at the taller boy. "Bokuto-san." It's softly said and Akaashi has to find out the answers to the questions he doesn't have—the questions that don't stop swirling around his head. "What… What does this make us, Bokuto-san?" He can't help the way that his voice wavers with the anxiety of the question heightening. He coughs awkwardly, unlinking their hands so he can try and get a grip on something other than Bokuto. 

He watches Bokuto smile, his eyes glowing brighter the more he looks at Akaashi. Akaashi watches as Bokuto steps close enough to take Akaashi's hands in his again. His hands are still warm against the contrast of Akaashi's colder hands. "Don't be silly, Akaashi. We're soulmates!" He gently tugs Akaashi into a hug, as if that answer was as simple as that. Bokuto holds Akaashi for a moment, standing in the middle of the sidewalk. 

"I'm serious, Bokuto-san." As much as the small amount of joking helped, it didn't answer the questions tumbling around in his mind—even though, pressed up close to Bokuto, his thoughts were going a bit haywire.

"Akaashi. I am yours." Bokuto's voice is surprisingly soft and genuine, yet strong enough to send a series of shivers down Akaashi's back. He looks down, Bokuto's gaze intense and making Akaashi want to break the promise he made to freshman him. He wasn't going to kiss Bokuto, not now. Not when he was going to leave in the next few months and leave Akaashi on his own. 

He feels a gentle touch to his forehead and imagines they're Bokuto's lips. He leans into it and takes a deep breath before backing away enough to get his hands on the collar of Bokuto's jacket and pulling him in for a kiss.

It's messy and uncoordinated, but Akaashi wouldn't expect anything different from a first kiss with Bokuto.


End file.
